Yaounde , Cameroon -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Heavily armed poachers recently killed nearly 40 endangered forest elephants for their ivory in two national parks , officials in Cameroon said Tuesday , the latest in a string of slaughters of the animals in Central Africa .

`` The carcasses are still fresh , indicating the killings took place probably only this month , '' ecologist Theophile Mbarga told CNN on Tuesday .

Very young -- even newborn -- elephants were among the carcasses found in Nki and Lobeke national parks . The toll could reach 50 after a thorough search is made , Mbarga added .

The dead elephants were found closely clustered -- less than 35 feet apart -- indicating the poachers used powerful , modern weapons , conservation group WWF project manager Zacharie Nzooh told journalists Tuesday .

Evidence indicates that a horseback-riding band of about 300 poachers from Sudan was behind the slaughter , officials said . The same poachers were believed to be responsible for hundreds of elephant deaths over the past year .

Forest elephants are distinguished from the more familiar savanna elephants by their smaller size and straighter tusks . A kilogram -LRB- 2.2 pounds -RRB- of their ivory sells for hundreds of dollars on the underground market in places such as China and Thailand . Political analysts say the proceeds fund rebel groups in Sudan and the Central African Republic .

A recent peer-reviewed study published at PLOS One documented a `` catastrophic '' 62 percent decline in Central Africa 's forest elephant population over nine years . Officials estimated that 1,700 forest elephants remain in the two Cameroonian parks . It is feared they will be completely wiped out within seven years .

Savanna elephant populations in the Central African Republic are believed to have plummeted from around 80,000 just 30 years ago to a few hundred today , according to WWF , formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund .

The governments of three Central African nations -- Cameroon , the Central African Republic and Chad -- announced Saturday they would muster as many as 1,000 soldiers for joint military operations to protect the region 's last remaining savanna elephants , as the Sudanese poachers are still active in the region .

`` We recommend the mobilization of all defense and security forces in the affected countries '' to stop the poachers , members of the Economic Community of Central African States said in a joint statement . The communique was issued at the end of a three-day emergency anti-poaching ministerial conference held in Cameroon 's capital , YaoundÃ © .

The operation is estimated to cost about $ 2.3 million . The announcement called on other nations to contribute additional funds to sustain the effort .

On the night of March 14 to 15 , poachers slaughtered killed at least 89 elephants in southern Chad , WWF said . They are also believed to be behind the killing of at least 30 elephants in the Central African Republic since January 1 .

The poachers on horseback are also suspected of killing 300 elephants in Cameroon 's Bouba N'Djida National Park in early 2012 . The carnage prompted Cameroon to mobilize 600 elite troops to try to keep the poachers from crossing the border again , WWF reported .

In the statement , the ECCAS states congratulated Thailand for its March 3 decision to ban its legal domestic ivory trade and urged its vigorous enforcement .

Ivory consumers `` need to be sensitized to the consequences '' of the ivory trade , the statement said , adding that `` destination countries -LRB- should -RRB- adopt measures to reduce ivory demand . ''

Robert Jackson , the U.S. ambassador to Cameroon , said he was pleased with the meeting .

`` The plan is a good one . But execution is now critical . '' he said .

`` I am , however , concerned that there is no mention of corruption in the statement , because it contributes directly to the poaching and trafficking problem , '' he said .

CNN 's Jim Kavanagh contributed to this report .

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Nearly 40 endangered forest elephants were killed in 2 parks

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300 Sudanese poachers on horseback are believed to be responsible

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Forest and savanna elephant populations have declined drastically

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Central African nations agree to mobilize 1,000 soldiers to fight poaching